Marlow
-The protagonist of the novel. Marlow is a sailor, who from a young age was always fascinated with maps. As the map of the earth was slowly becoming filled, he had always focused on the area that would later become known as the Congo River in Africa. Years later, Marlow gets the opportunity to run a steam boat on the river. Marlow is an experienced man who has seen a lot of the world. He knows firsthand from his experiences that the world is a vile place, and that the hearts of men are filled only with darkness. Marlow is a gifted storyteller, and weaves his own philosophical beliefs into his tale in order to fully engulf his listeners. After rescuing Kurtz, Marlow is the only one that had made the trek through the Congo that still believed Kurtz to be a remarkable man. This caused the others to shun him as a madman. While Marlow definitely saw Kurtz for the evil, warped man that he was, Marlow can't help but admire that in the end, Kurtz saw the world for the evil that truly existed in it. The character of Marlow is based off of Joseph Conrad himself. Heart of Darkness reflects many of the things that Conrad experienced while in the Congo, and Marlow and Conrad both encountered many of the same things.
Kurtz
-The enigmatic Mr. Kurtz is the most successful agent that the trading company has to offer. No other man finds as much ivory as Kurtz, and everyone knows it. Every person whose life Kurtz touches ultimately becomes transformed by his greatness. No one is immune to Kurtz' charms. After meeting him, people think he is a remarkable man, one of the greatest to have ever lived. Kurtz is “more a voice than a man”, and his great eloquence charms men to follow him. While he is very successful, Kurtz also has succumbed to his inner, darkest desires. The jungle whispered dark things to him, which resounded in his hollow body. Upon being rescued by Marlow and the others, Kurtz does not want to leave. He wanted to continue living the way he had been; being revered as a god. He even tries to escape before they are able to take him back to the central station. Once he is on board the ship, his life begins to end. Marlow stays by him as he succumbs to death. At the end, Kurtz becomes terrified, and screams out "The horror!". Marlow then realizes that Kurtz was able to see the world and all of its evil in his final moments.
Minor Characters:
The Doctor
-One of the minor characters that appears early on in the story, the doctor represents one of several characters in the novella who really has no function. The doctor questions Marlow's sanity--why else would he want to go out into the Congo? He then takes measurements of Marlow's head, as part of his "scientific research". Marlow asks if he ever notices any change in the skulls of the patients when they arrive back, but the doctor says that he never sees them again--making it pointless for him to be taking the measurements. To further illustrate this, the doctor then mentions that the changes take place on the inside anyway.
General Manager
-The leader of the Central Station, the general manager possesses no great abilities. He is average in just about everything. It should also be noted that he is corrupt-he cares only for his own ascension along the company’s hierarchy. He is unorganized and not very smart. He only holds his position because he has a good immune system, which fends off most of the tropical illnesses that plague the other agents.
The Brickmaker
-A minor character in the story, Marlow encounters the brickmaker on the night that a native is accused of burning down a shed. The brickmaker is concerned solely with the purpose of getting somewhere in the company some day. He only talks to Marlow because he believes that Marlow has been selected by the higher ups to become a leader and believes he has influences in Europe that can get him a promotion.
Russian Trader
-A devotee of Kurtz, the Russian trader came as a representative of a Dutch company. Kurtz put the trader in awe of his wide array of knowledge and perspectives on life. Kurtz’ eloquence charmed the trader into a state of near worship towards him. The trader simply listens to Kurtz, and agrees with him on everything-he does not even judge Kurtz for threatening to kill him over a small amount of ivory.
Kurtz’ Mistress
-A magnificent African woman of great beauty. Draped in jewelry, she is nearby when Marlow arrives at and leave the Inner Station. She never speaks a word, though seems to have influence over Kurtz. It is suggested that she and Kurtz had a sexual relationship. Marlow never learns anything about her, other than seeing her.
Kurtz’ Intended
-The woman Kurtz was supposed to marry. When Marlow meets her, she is in mourning, and, as with everyone else, praises Kurtz and the great things he did and was capable of. Kurtz’ Intended shows Marlow’s belief that women live in a fantasy world. She insists that Kurtz loved her more than anything, and that she knew him better than anyone, which offends Marlow. Marlow lies to her, telling her that her name was the last thing Kurtz spoke before he died.
Major Characters:
Marlow
-The protagonist of the novel. Marlow is a sailor, who from a young age was always fascinated with maps. As the map of the earth was slowly becoming filled, he had always focused on the area that would later become known as the Congo River in Africa. Years later, Marlow gets the opportunity to run a steam boat on the river. Marlow is an experienced man who has seen a lot of the world. He knows firsthand from his experiences that the world is a vile place, and that the hearts of men are filled only with darkness. Marlow is a gifted storyteller, and weaves his own philosophical beliefs into his tale in order to fully engulf his listeners. After rescuing Kurtz, Marlow is the only one that had made the trek through the Congo that still believed Kurtz to be a remarkable man. This caused the others to shun him as a madman. While Marlow definitely saw Kurtz for the evil, warped man that he was, Marlow can't help but admire that in the end, Kurtz saw the world for the evil that truly existed in it. The character of Marlow is based off of Joseph Conrad himself. Heart of Darkness reflects many of the things that Conrad experienced while in the Congo, and Marlow and Conrad both encountered many of the same things.
Kurtz
-The enigmatic Mr. Kurtz is the most successful agent that the trading company has to offer. No other man finds as much ivory as Kurtz, and everyone knows it. Every person whose life Kurtz touches ultimately becomes transformed by his greatness. No one is immune to Kurtz' charms. After meeting him, people think he is a remarkable man, one of the greatest to have ever lived. Kurtz is “more a voice than a man”, and his great eloquence charms men to follow him. While he is very successful, Kurtz also has succumbed to his inner, darkest desires. The jungle whispered dark things to him, which resounded in his hollow body. Upon being rescued by Marlow and the others, Kurtz does not want to leave. He wanted to continue living the way he had been; being revered as a god. He even tries to escape before they are able to take him back to the central station. Once he is on board the ship, his life begins to end. Marlow stays by him as he succumbs to death. At the end, Kurtz becomes terrified, and screams out "The horror!". Marlow then realizes that Kurtz was able to see the world and all of its evil in his final moments.
Minor Characters:
The Doctor
-One of the minor characters that appears early on in the story, the doctor represents one of several characters in the novella who really has no function. The doctor questions Marlow's sanity--why else would he want to go out into the Congo? He then takes measurements of Marlow's head, as part of his "scientific research". Marlow asks if he ever notices any change in the skulls of the patients when they arrive back, but the doctor says that he never sees them again--making it pointless for him to be taking the measurements. To further illustrate this, the doctor then mentions that the changes take place on the inside anyway.General Manager
-The leader of the Central Station, the general manager possesses no great abilities. He is average in just about everything. It should also be noted that he is corrupt-he cares only for his own ascension along the company’s hierarchy. He is unorganized and not very smart. He only holds his position because he has a good immune system, which fends off most of the tropical illnesses that plague the other agents.
The Brickmaker
-A minor character in the story, Marlow encounters the brickmaker on the night that a native is accused of burning down a shed. The brickmaker is concerned solely with the purpose of getting somewhere in the company some day. He only talks to Marlow because he believes that Marlow has been selected by the higher ups to become a leader and believes he has influences in Europe that can get him a promotion.Russian Trader
-A devotee of Kurtz, the Russian trader came as a representative of a Dutch company. Kurtz put the trader in awe of his wide array of knowledge and perspectives on life. Kurtz’ eloquence charmed the trader into a state of near worship towards him. The trader simply listens to Kurtz, and agrees with him on everything-he does not even judge Kurtz for threatening to kill him over a small amount of ivory.
Kurtz’ Mistress
-A magnificent African woman of great beauty. Draped in jewelry, she is nearby when Marlow arrives at and leave the Inner Station. She never speaks a word, though seems to have influence over Kurtz. It is suggested that she and Kurtz had a sexual relationship. Marlow never learns anything about her, other than seeing her.
Kurtz’ Intended
-The woman Kurtz was supposed to marry. When Marlow meets her, she is in mourning, and, as with everyone else, praises Kurtz and the great things he did and was capable of. Kurtz’ Intended shows Marlow’s belief that women live in a fantasy world. She insists that Kurtz loved her more than anything, and that she knew him better than anyone, which offends Marlow. Marlow lies to her, telling her that her name was the last thing Kurtz spoke before he died.